Does Pentas Plants Have Medicinal Values?

Pentas Lanceolata or Pentas Plants Medicinal Property

Pentas lanceolata, also known as Egyptian Star, is native to tropical Africa and is commonly used as herbal medicine in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya.

But in temperate countries, it is planted for its colorful clusters of flowers that easily attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. This shrubby plant is not only popular for bed and border planting but also for containers and window boxes.

Since Pentas plant has edible and medicinal uses, you should consider it as one of your medicinal plants in your garden as you never know when you might need it.

This article will highlight its medicinal uses and how to grow and care for this colorful Pentas plant.

This is my red Pentas plant that is planted along the slope as ground cover and for slope protection. The red Pentas Flower is probably the most striking | Source

Uses of Pentas Lanceolata in Traditional Medicine

Traditional medicine plays an important role in the daily healthcare needs of the ethnic groups in tropical African countries. Limited access and affordability to modern healthcare facilities are some of the reasons why they are highly dependent on traditional medicine. These include the use of plants, minerals, and animals for healing and medicinal treatments.

Plants are the most popular and Pentas Lanceolata aka Pentas plant is used for the following ailments:

1. To Treat Lymphadenitis

Lymphadenitis is an infection of the lymph nodes that cause the affected glands to swell. Conventional medicinal treatment will include the use of antibiotics, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory medicines. If there is an abscess, surgery will be carried out to drain it.

In Ethiopia, Pentas Lanceolata leaves and roots are used as the herbal treatment (used topically and orally) to treat lymphadenitis{1}{2}.

2. To Treat Diarrhoea

Pentas root and leaves are boiled and administered through the nose as a treatment for diarrhoea{1}{2}. This method may be painful and usually applied to babies and small children who would otherwise refuse to drink the concoction.

The report does not state how it is administered to adults but I suspect it will be orally.

Pentas lanceolata grows easily & need little maintenance. That is why the plant thrives well in tropical Africa and is commonly use in traditional medicine. This is the white pentas plant flower. | Source

3. Pentas Plant To Treat Snake Bite

In Ethiopia, Pentas plant is used to treat snakebite. The report by Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Kampala International University in Uganda {3}, was silent on the snake species. It only mentioned the treatment, which is either of the following methods:

Fresh Pentas Lanceolata root is crushed and mix with water, then drunk, or

Chew any fresh parts of the whole Pentas plant, or

Have smoke bath using pounded dried Pentas leaves, or

Soak the whole body with crushed fresh Pentas leaf, or

Chew fresh Pentas root then soak the bite area with the residue

4. To Treat Malaria

Malaria vaccines are not cheap and not easily available to rural Africa. Instead, they use traditional medicine to treat malaria and one of the plants used is Pentas plant.

Studies on the effectiveness of Pentas plant for this treatment is reported in NCBI (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health){4} . It confirmed that extracts from Pentas Longiflora and Pentas Lanceolata roots showed resistance to the malaria strains.

This study was conducted by the following universities/research agencies:

Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

5. To Treat Ascariasis

Ascariasis is not a common ailment in most of part of the world but in rural parts of Africa, this is a frequent problem. This disease is caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, a parasitic roundworm that grows inside the body causing enlargement of the liver and inflammation of the lungs.

Conventional treatment to heal this ailment is to kill the roundworm with the medicine, ascaricide and is taken orally.

In the traditional treatment of Ascariasis, the root of Pentas Lanceolata is boiled and the mixture is taken orally {1}{2}

Ascariasis in Livestock

Ascariasis is also a common livestock disease. Instead of roots, Pentas leaves are given to cows as treatment for Ascariasis {1}

Bioactive Chemicals of Pentas Lanceolata Plant

The study by scientists from Department of Botany, Scott Christian College and Nesamony Memorial Christian College in India, showed the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, phenols, terpenoids, coumarins, phytosterols and quinones in Pentas Lanceolata.

The presences of these bioactive chemicals are important as they are known to have antibacterial activities against viruses for the above ailments.

It was also reported that Pentas Lanceolata can be used to heal wound due to the presence of the polyphenolic compound tannin, which is considered antimicrobial.

References and Research Papers on the Use of Pentas Lanceolata in Traditional Medicine

The traditional medicinal uses are not limited to Pentas Lanceolata but to other varieties of Pentas plants as well. For more information on the other varieties such as Pentas longiflora, Pentas brussei, Pentas decora etc, you can click on the following links. These links are also reports and studies that I used as references for this article.

Most gardeners plant Pentas for its colorful blooms. This Pentas comes in two-toned colors with dark purple centers | Source

Pentas Flowers Perennials

Even if you ignore its medicinal values, Pentas plants are great for your garden.

They are perennials, hardy, easy to maintain and are not likely to get diseases. They are not fussy about soil type and generally drought resilient. But make sure the soil drains well.

Colorful Pentas Flowers

Pentas flowers bloom all year and come in clusters of red, white and pink. The newer varieties are in violet/lavender, purple and even in two-tone colors. The older varieties, however, are taller and better at attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

The growth rate is rather slow, so they make a good container or bedding plants. If you want them indoor put them in areas that received the most sunlight.

Pentas will give you prolific flower clusters and this variety is in deep purple . | Source

Growing Conditions and How to Care for Pentas Plant

As mentioned earlier, Pentas plants grow best if there are in full sun and the soil is moist and well-drained. Give them plenty of water but do not overwater. Fertilize every week (or according to your fertilizer brand instructions) during the growing season.

Prune and deadhead it often for a compact plant and for more blooms.

Pentas lanceolata plant (& its flower) is probably one of the best plants to attract butterfly and birds to your garden | Source

How to Grow Pentas - Pentas Flower Seeds and Pentas Cuttings

Propagating Pentas plant is easy. You can plant it from seeds or from cuttings but it blooms faster from cuttings.

How To Do Cuttings

Use a hand pruner to cut lateral stem from the terminal wood. Moisten the end of cutting and dip it into growth hormone powder. Shake off any excess powder and plant Pentas cutting to about half its depth in a mixture of equal parts peat moss and coarse sand. Keep the mixture moist but not saturated. It will take about a month for it to root and for a new plant to appear.

Cuttings from Pentas Plant: Cut the lateral stems from the leader with hand pruner or sharp knife | Source

Grow From Pentas Flower Seeds

Use good quality Pentas flower seeds and place them into a potting mix. You can use equal parts peat moss and coarse sand as your potting mix. Do not cover the seeds with soil as they are small and need light to germinate.

Create a mini-greenhouse effect by placing the plastic cover over the cultivation pots or tray. This will hold in the moisture.

Remove this plastic cover once the seedlings emerge. After it is about 3 inches tall, you can transplant it into a bigger pot or outdoor.

Transplanting Pentas

Gently tap the cultivation pot on its side to slowly dislodge the soil from the pot. Together with the potting mix, transfer the Pentas seedling to its final destination.

If it is a bigger pot, make sure it has enough holes in the base. This will allow water to drain freely.

If it is outdoor in the garden bed, make sure the soil retains moisture but will not be waterlogged.

Pentas Northern Lights Lavender in soft lavender shade | Source

How Tall Do Pentas Plant Grow?

In tropical climates, they will grow to about three feet but the older varieties can grow up to six feet tall. These tall Pentas need to be pruned often. Otherwise, they will grow outward and will topple over. In non-tropical climates, it will grow to less than 3 feet but some varieties may also grow up to 3 feet.

Pentas Flowers Care

Pentas is a sub-shrub where the base is a persistent woody stem. The top part is herbaceous with lots of leafy green and flowers. Hence, if there is no pruning it will be top heavy and will topple.

If you have Pentas that are about three years old, prune off the top one-third for better growth and flowers.

Pentas flowers in different colors for a stunning ground cover, which will double up as your medicine chest! | Source

Are You Ready to Plant Pentas?

Pentas plant is beautiful and is easy to maintain. It comes in many colorful varieties and with its added medicinal values, everyone must have Pentas plants in their garden.

Are you ready to give this plant a try?

Disclaimer

The medicinal values of Pentas Lanceolata are not fully researched and endorsed by the relevant health authorities. This article served as a platform for further research. If you are interested in its herbal values, you should check with your certified herbalist and medical practitioners for further guidance.

Questions & Answers

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Kristen Howe

3 years agofrom Northeast Ohio

Beautiful flowers in those photos. This is an interesting hub on how it can handy for medicine or your garden. Voted up!

AUTHOR

Mazlan

4 years agofrom Malaysia

Hi BlossomSB, thanks for dropping by and sharing your own experience with Malaria. Pentas plant is pretty and with its medicinal values, will come in handy. All the best for 2015.

Bronwen Scott-Branagan

4 years agofrom Victoria, Australia

What a wonderfully useful plant, and it's so pretty, too, so a great addition to the garden. Aiding resistance to Malaria would be very useful in many countries - having had that disease, although it was comparatively mild as I took the recommended prophylactics, I've had a taste of how horrible it can be.

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